Rayleigh turned to Vincent and scowled “Are we really going to go underground?” Her voice quivered slightly as her knees shook ever so slightly. A more discerning eye would sense her fear, Vince was too busy staring at the stairs before them.

“Holy shit.” He muttered. “THESE STAIRS MUST BE THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN ALL OF ALTHANAS!” his voice boomed through the island as he barreled down towards the opening. “I don’t even see any gears!”

“Okay, you can just completely ignore my objections and run straight into the…” she trailed off as she reached the top of the stairs and found the scholar nowhere to be found. “How the fuck…he shouldn’t be able to move that fast with his knee…”

Huffing slightly she descended the stairs, straining her eyes to make out any details of the hall before her. At the bottom she found a long dimly lit hallway with the scholar crouched at the other end. As she closed the gap between them, equal parts scared and furious at Vincent, she watched her partner retrieve an orb from his robes and suddenly the entire hallway burst into light.

Stunned, she paused for a moment and took in the view. On either side of them the walls were coated in ancient runes engraved in what appeared to be silver. Tentatively the mechanic reached out and traced a simple word on the wall, unsure of its language or meaning. A spark leaped from the wall to her finger and suddenly the walls began to shimmer slightly before igniting into a golden glow. The entire hallway took to life bathing the two in a gentle glow.

Rayleigh’s jaw dropped as she turned to glance at Vincent who wore a similar expression. “It’s…beautiful.” The two murmured before turning to look at eachother.

“This…” Vincent trailed off, “…is why I work for the Hierarchy.”